Power Play
by Andromakhe
Summary: Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon spend some time at the park. A teaching opportunity presents itself. Ignores Jedi Apprentice.


Disclaimer: Star Wars property of Lucas and Disney.

A/N: This fic came to me because I was talking to my dad about butterflies and dragonflies. I thought this was an appropriate lesson Obi-Wan might have learned. He's not officially Qui-Gon's apprentice yet; more like very strongly considered. It's set on Coruscant and Obi-Wan is perhaps eleven or twelve. I don't buy into the whole Qui-Gon not wanting Obi-Wan business. At least, not at the start of the apprenticeship. In fact, I don't think Qui-Gon ever rejected him, but I've already told that story.

The dragonfly glided around the park, munching mosquitoes and flies and even some bees. He wanted a butterfly or two. That would be a bit more bang for his effort and therefore more profitable. But there was a problem. A land predator was in the vicinity and he wanted nothing to do with it, as it was huge. He knew their kind. They were strong and cruel, some of them even delighting in torturing his kind to death. He had been lucky. The one who had caught him was not interested in eating him. It merely wanted a closer look and then he was released. This current predator had succeeded in capturing a butterfly and brought it to an even bigger predator some distance away, seated on a bench. The smaller predator sat next to the bigger one and offered the butterfly to it, who seemed to refuse it. The butterfly was trapped in some sort of web and could not escape, but the smaller predator did not seem to wish to eat it. It just held the web in front of it and watched the prey struggle. The dragonfly thought that if that smaller predator relinquished the food, he'd have an easy time capturing it, as it was already isolated from the main group of butterflies by the flowers. In the meantime, he carried on eating other hapless insects, but remained on the lookout for the release of his prize.

Obi-Wan admired the butterfly for a while and then looked up at the dragonfly's impressive aerial maneuvers. However, admiration turned to horror as he released the butterfly and the dragonfly chased it as it made a desperate attempt to evade. The butterfly darted this way and that, but all the time, the dragonfly gained on it. Obi-Wan already knew the butterfly was done for. It was outmatched in every way - out-flown, out-maneuvered, and simply too weak. And yet, Obi-Wan could do nothing but watch. He watched until the bitter end, when the dragonfly triumphed and its Force signature rejoiced in the thrill of a successful hunt. He felt the butterfly's desperation turn into despairing resignation just before the dragonfly crushed it in its jaws.

He turned to Master Jinn in grief. "I killed it," he whispered.

"No, young one," came the Master's gentle reply, "it is simply the way of things. To have stopped it would not have been the will of the Force."

"But I should have killed the dragonfly or driven it off. I did nothing. I felt the butterfly's fear and distress but was frozen. And worst of all, I couldn't even stop watching. There was a…a primal fascination in the chase and eventual capture, even though I knew there was less and less hope for the butterfly as time went on."

"It never occurred to you to kill the dragonfly?"

"No."

"Why?"

"It was beautiful, in the way warriors are. Its skill, strength, speed. It knew, as well as you or I, that whatever it targeted had little chance of survival, if any. I also didn't know it would target the butterfly I held. And then, there was its size. A dragonfly has no chance if I target it, but it cannot harm me. It seemed wrong to kill or injure such a creature."

Qui-Gon smiled. "You will be a fine Jedi, young one. I can already tell. As for the unfortunate butterfly, there was nothing you could do. You could not protect it forever. And it would not have thanked you if you tried."

"But I'd have saved its life. Wouldn't that count for something?"

"Maybe this time, but what about the future? Would you keep it in a jar so nothing could harm it? I guarantee you, that would kill it, and then you truly would have been responsible, as opposed to the dragonfly."

"But the butterfly would have been safe."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Safe, but unhappy. Safe, but trapped. Safe, but unable to be all it could be."

"I don't understand. I am safe with you, and happy, and not trapped, and you just said I had a good future."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "I am happy to know this, young one. But what if I locked you in your room, all day, every day. What if I brought you food, made sure you were warm, cleaned up after you, spent time with you, but you could never leave such a small area. And think of the prospect of your whole life like that. The butterfly you caught - it was perhaps my age. Certainly an adult. It could fly wherever it wished. If its world were suddenly and dramatically shrunken to a jar, don't you think it would get depressed and see no reason to keep living?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "That's a good point. I hadn't thought of it that way. I like my room, but would hate to be forced to stay there. And how can I become a Knight and be a defender and a diplomat if I'm stuck there?"

"That's right. Butterflies and all living things have the goal to reproduce. For sentients, of course, it is more of a choice than for animals, so trying to protect that insect would have denied it the fulfillment of its life mission. In the end, young one, I think you did right, even if it was not a conscious choice on your part. A dragonfly is a predator and was doing what's in its nature. We are predators as well, and perhaps this is why you could not kill it and even why you related to it on some level. I was watching that hunt just as closely as you were, though I already knew the sequence of events. You did not kill that butterfly. In letting it go, you gave it its best chance to reach maximum potential."

"I'm still sad it died, even though it wasn't my fault."

"You should be. It was an innocent just trying to live. But we cannot protect everyone. It is unrealistic to expect to. That would require control over every factor of life, and we don't have that kind of reach. And that's probably a good thing. Control what you can; accept what you can't. Hmmm?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "I understand, Master."

Qui-Gon patted Obi-Wan's shoulder affectionately. "Come, let's go eat."

Obi-Wan stared at Qui-Gon incredulously a moment, but then nodded. "Dex's?" he grinned.

"Sounds good to me."


End file.
